1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a relatively low cost, rechargeable, manually operated pressure build-up pump sprayer that is assembled from a relatively few number of parts to dispense liquid in response to a relatively small actuating force. The pump sprayer herein described has particular application for atomizing and dispensing liquids, such as, hair products, deodorants, perfumes, cosmetic preparations, and the like.
2. Background Art
As will be known to those skilled in the art, the typical pressure build-up pump sprayer is manufactured from a relatively large number of parts. The large number of parts correspondingly results in a high manufacturing cost and an increase in the difficulty of manufacture, especially when molding of several parts is required. Moreover, these conventional pump sprayers are often difficult to assemble and, in some cases, have to be primed during assembly. Moreover, when the conventional sprayer is clogged with dried product, the continued operation thereof may cause some parts to disengage from one another rendering the sprayer inoperable. Some pump sprayers have ineffective or inefficient seals, such that leakage becomes a problem, particularly if the liquid container is turned upside down or if the spray head is depressed, even slightly. Other pump sprayers require the application of a large actuating force to depress the spray head which often leads to user discomfort, especially if the sprayer is to be used by those engaged in a task which requires that the sprayer be used over long periods of time. Still other pump sprayers must be stroked a large number of times before the sprayer is suitably primed to dispense a liquid spray, while a number of pump sprayers are undesirably characterized by a relatively short stroke or a correspondingly low volume spray output.
The presently disclosed pressure build-up pump sprayer overcomes the problems associated with the conventional pump sprayers by virtue of its fewer number of parts, reduced cost, capability of automatic and efficient assembly, desired pump stroke in response to minimal actuating pressure, and reliable venting and priming by which a relatively large volume of spray may be dispensed after only a small number of priming strokes.